as in giant
unusually large
harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
whacked the vending machine to get the candy bar to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in murdering
slang
to put to death deliberately
without a second thought the mob boss had them whacked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whacking
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
—
ABC News,
4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—
Dale Robertson,
Houston Chronicle,
4 Apr. 2026
And Matt was whacking them with his stick.
—
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.
—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
—
ABC News,
4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—
Dale Robertson,
Houston Chronicle,
4 Apr. 2026
And Matt was whacking them with his stick.
—
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
-
The only food stall that was open during kickoff sold turkey legs for $23, a smash cheeseburger for $20 and a giant western sausage for $20.
-
The bodice also included a giant bow at the neck.
Adverb
-
Now, multiple residents are left worried about what's to come next week with extremely hot temperatures in the forecast.
-
Despite being the fourth largest economy in the world — the home of Hollywood and Silicon Valley — California’s budget is extremely dependent on the state’s most prosperous residents.
Verb
-
Deputies responded to a report of a driver smacking his car into a guardrail in front of The Bridge Restaurant before driving away, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
-
As the match got away from her in the second set and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd became increasingly hostile, Andreeva fully unraveled, smacking another ball towards the roof and asking members of her box to leave.
Verb
-
The ruling handed down on Tuesday affirmed the judgment of a May 2025 hearing presided over by Cuyahoga County judge Nancy Margaret Russo, the same judge who found Shirilla guilty of murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo (no relation) and their friend, Davion Flanagan, in a 2022 car crash.
-
Sam Worthington leads the series as David Burroughs, a father serving a life sentence for murdering his own son five years ago.
Adjective
-
Authors think humans might just be able to leverage a few tools at our disposal to change the course of huge weather events.
-
Technology companies are spending big to incorporate artificial intelligence into their businesses and to build huge data centers.
Adverb
-
Hodad’s is a third-generation small business, a San Diego treasure that makes a damn good burger.
-
Williams is too young to be this damn good.
Verb
-
The refs started handing out technical fouls like free samples, slapping Thomas and Hines-Allen with a double technical.
-
Prosecutors dropped all charges against a bouncer for allegedly slapping a bar patron in February.
Verb
-
Since the start of the war in 2022, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility for assassinating several senior Russian officers, some of whom have appeared on a public list of Ukraine’s enemies.
-
Yes, assassinating their leaders might have played into that.
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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